Monday, February 25, 2013

Dancing Feet...

It's strange...when you really love something and is so much a part of your life that it's almost like breathing, it is always a part of you. It becomes more than just something you do. It becomes the language you speak, the food you eat, the music you hear, the colors you see. It starts to permeate every part of your existence.

When we find something like this, I think it is easy to begin to force this thing to grow and thrive. We start looking for ways to make things happen..to incorporate it into every single part of ourselves. I don't believe this to be wrong, necessarily. But I do believe it can become an obsession that is so fierce, this thing that was once natural and organic becomes fake and unfulfilling. When we attempt to take control of this thing, we can stunt its growth and make it less than what it was originally intended to be.

So what happens when we step back and see it again for what it was intended to be? When we go back to the start and remind ourselves of the joy and fulfillment with which we were filled when this gift...this thing...was first discovered? That all depends on you. For me? When I stepped back and let the Creator of this love take the reins again, stuff started to happen. Real stuff. Not stuff that seemed like the original but turned out to be empty and unfulfilling. Real. Live. Stuff.

Dance happened. He moved my feet and I let Him. Well, I'm still letting Him. It's a process..."a marathon, not a sprint" as someone once told me. And no, running is not a part of this...I still think I'm allergic to running...

I started fearing that I was losing dance. That it was going to go away and all of these years of thinking it was part of me were gone...it was time to move on. Not true. It was simply time to let go.

Anxiety and stress does nothing to help. Nothing. For anyone. Let it go.

Fine.

Then the Source reminds you of why you have this thing in the first place. Where it came from. What it needs to grow and be most alive. What it's all about.... Well?

Last year during the school I met a wonderful woman named Chiara. A dancer. We did a couple of events together with the other dancers and absolutely found our common ground in dance. Over the year, we kept in touch...a few emails here and there (complete with bad Google translations). When I found out I would be coming back to Italy even with the school not happening, I sent her an email. Was there anything I could do to help her? Any dance opportunities she knew about? Etc, etc...

Yes, in fact there were. This past Saturday, over a glass of wine, with the translation help of my darling, tesoro, something started to glow again. Dance became the language barrier breaker. The friendship had been formed via a common gift and love. There was purpose in this connection, we all knew that last year. We found a common ground and beyond that, I see something...I can't fully explain it, but there is something in her that is searching. Like she's looking for more, but not quite sure what "more" is. Dance is a way for people to connect. People who don't speak the same language or come from the same training still find an unspeakably strong bond through dance. Ask any dancer. It creates and relationship and understanding that goes beyond the surface. It gets into the deep places beyond words. Chiara and I haven't needed a lot of words in order to understand each other. Honestly, there aren't a lot of words we can share. But the One who gave us both dance...this thing that permeates every part of our being...has decided it necessary for our paths to cross. Maybe it's as a reminder for both of us. A reminder about the Source of this love. For me, I'm here, in a foreign place. Not for the original purpose I thought. Currently not sure of my role. Not sure of much at all. But certainly not forgotten. I think I see that now...again. For her, she's working her tail off with two daughters and a dog...on her own...to keep this dance business afloat. She is doing this on her own.

But now, I am here looking for a purpose. However, I can't actually have a "real job." Good, because she can't actually pay much..if anything. She needs help. She needs someone who has the same vision. Someone who wants to share a love of something. I don't know if either of us know what it will look like. Right now there are projects and other relationships that need be built. But the foundation is laid. The connection has been established and....we get it. There's something more to this thing. It has permeated both of our lives and is bubbling over. It needs to grow and the time is here. Spring is just around the corner after all...

Please keep Chiara and this friendship in your prayers. It is a really exciting ministry opportunity as well as an opportunity to connect with a bigger dance community here. I have already done one workshop with her (traditional southern Italian dance...awesome) and this coming Saturday her and I and two of her friends from dance in Torino are going to dive into the world of vertical dance (like hanging from the ceiling...really awesome). She's got some great vision for bringing dance into the valley for the people, but she needs help. God is up to something with this friendship so please be praying that His purpose would be the driving force behind it all. It will be a beautiful piece to watch unfold, as long as our Awesome Choreographer is in control!

Also, a few of us who are involved in the ministry I am here helping, met last night for prayer. There was a lot of encouragement for this relationship with Chiara as well as other ministry opportunities from other relationships that have been built. Currently, we are working with the local Salvation Army to organize weekly soup/pasta kitchen here in Torre Pellice. Tomorrow we are meeting with a man in Bobbio Pellice to discuss future sports camps, and Friday we are meeting with another representative from Salvation Army to discuss management of outreaches here in the valley. I am so excited to see how God is forming ministry opportunities and would love your support in prayer for continued opportunities as well as guidance for these that are already happening.

If you would like information on how you can give financially to support my ministry here please email me at dancinLo488@gmail.com. If you have questions about the way financial support works (since it is not connected with OM as it was previously) please do not hesitate to email me these questions as well!! Any and all support that we receive is so appreciated and recognized...the prayers are not in vain! You are all a part of this team and I want to make sure, as much as possible, that there is no confusion with what is happening.

Grazie mille tutti!!! Ciao...

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